The XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro, meanwhile, edges it in both size and resolution, with a 23.8-inch QHD (2560 x 1440) screen that covers 90% of Adobe RGB.īoth tablets have high-quality displays that are satisfying and intuitive to draw on.
The Cintiq 22 has a 22-inch Full HD display covering 96% of the sRGB colour gamut (72% NTSC). Let’s take a look at two similarly priced models – the Wacom Cintiq 22 and the XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro.
If you’re willing to drop a four-figure sum on something like the Wacom Cintiq Pro 32, you get a dazzling 32-inch 4K display capable of outputting 1.07 billion colours.īut if that’s your vibe, you don’t need a guide like this. The XP-Pen Artist 15.6 Pro, left, and the Wacom Cintiq 16, right (not to scale) (Image credit: Wacom/XP-Pen)Īt the high end, Wacom rules the roost when it comes to displays. But don’t count out XP-Pen, whose button-led setup has more scope for being customised to user preference. The Wacom experience definitely feels more premium, not least because of the better build quality of the tablet. There isn’t even Touch functionality on the Cintiq 16 – part of keeping the cost down. The Cintiq 16, meanwhile, is best controlled by plugging in a laptop using the 3-in-1 cable and making use of the Wacom Desktop Center. These are the shortcut keys, of which there are a total of eight, along with the distinctive red dial that can be used for zooming and other controls. From the front on, the Wacom Cintiq 16 is all screen, while the XP-Pen Artist 15.6 Pro has visible buttons on one side. Visually, there are some immediate differences that you’ll notice. That’s not a huge difference unless you’re carrying the tablet around all day, in which case, believe us, you’ll notice it. It weighs about 1.9kg the XP-Pen Artist 15.6 Pro weighs 1.5kg.
The Wacom tablet has superior build quality, with a stronger-feeling design that feels heavy and sturdier. Let’s take, for instance, the Wacom Cintiq 16 and the XP-Pen Artist 15.6 Pro. In terms of basic design, there’s not a huge amount to cover – drawing tablets are pretty simple things, physically speaking, and you’ll find many consistent differences between Wacom and XP-Pen even as you look at different models. The XP-Pen Artist Pro 24, left and the Wacom Cintiq 22, right (not to scale) (Image credit: Wacom/XP-Pen) We’re going to be looking at three major model comparisons, giving you the best chance to get the drawing tablet that best suits your needs.
So, when deciding whether you want a Wacom or an XP-Pen tablet, it’s worth breaking down their features and looking in closer detail. That's exactly what this article does for you.
Tablets like the Wacom One are competitive in the budget market, while the Wacom Cintiq 22 is a class-leading budget professional tablet. What’s more, the firm has recently engaged in a drive to make its flagship more affordable, and digital art more accessible to everyone. The fact remains that if you’re a professional artist who needs the best tablet money can buy, it’s going to be a Wacom. Wacom hasn’t rested on its laurels, however. Tablets like this provide a great happy medium, offering a drawing area that’s big enough for most purposes, and enough features and functionality to keep the majority of digital artists happy, all for a very competitive price. Take, for instance, the recent XP-Pen Artist 24 Pro, which is very clearly gunning for the professional market with its 23.8-inch QHD display. Meanwhile, XP-Pen continues to shore up its excellent credentials in the mid range of graphics tablets, with recent releases like the XP-Pen Innovator 16. If this were still true, it would make the question of which to choose pretty easy! But things have moved on from then, and XP-Pen is a real contender to consider if you want quality at a great price.Īnd both brands continue to release new models that complicate the picture. The formula of the past was that Wacom = superior but expensive, and XP-Pen = cheaper but less good.